Words and photos by Nancy Kiner
Walking into a concert on election night felt awkward. The DC9 staff watched the TV anxiously as it flushed red while I was whisked on my way up the stairs. Even through the night’s stressors the energy in the club was calm. Strangers in the crowd talked gregariously as if they were friends and family. Brooke Alexx’s Big Mouth tour was already bringing positive energy to D.C. and it hadn’t even started.
Alexx originally found her fame on TikTok and today she has over 600,000 followers on the platform. The name of her debut album Big Mouth comes from a popular comment made about her appearance: her big mouth. But she has found a way to turn any negativity into ammunition for her up and coming career. Opening with the first song on the album, “Super Famous” the 29 year old singer made sure everyone in the nightclub felt comfortable with one another. The following cover of Avril Lavigne’s song, “Girlfriend” brought an unexpected pop-punk energy.
Shortly into her show, Alexx moved to the crowd to sit in the middle of a large circle of fans on the DC9 floor. In an almost angelic way, she united everyone in the room.
DC9 as a venue always allows for an intimacy between crowd and performer that can’t be found in a larger setting, but Alexx showed an even more tangible affection for her fans. “I love you” multiple women shouted from the back of the crowd as Alexx pulled a concert goer up on stage to measure whose mouth was biggest. As DC9 laughed along, Brooke Alexx crowned herself the infamous big mouth champ. The smiley woman hugged the singer and grabbed her participation gift from the merch corner of the room.
The concert continued with more energy that it had entering the intermission. Alexx brought on her opening act Rosemary Joaquin and they danced together with a pink megaphone. Singing Chappel Roan’s “HOT TO GO!” the crowd morphed into one pumping scene of energy.
Throughout the setlist, Brooke shared personal anecdotes from her life and how they’ve impacted her songwriting. “A few years ago I was dating a guy I thought was the one” she went on to share that she had recently seen he was engaged over Instagram. Leading into “Stepping Stone” she described realizing that she was just a stepping stone for him. Now, standing in frilly white shorts and sparkly heart hair clips she said, “I hope I’m near someone who’s just a stepping stone for me.”
“I wouldn’t go back. I don’t even miss you” she sang. The long red ribbons in the singer’s hair reminded me of the red string in Frida Kahlo’s painting “Two Fridas.”
As the set came to a close, Alexx jumped around the stage in anticipation of her band’s next move and the girls behind me started screaming. The intro beat to “All of my Exes Mom’s” kicked in and the sold out crowd reached its peak.
The singer moved into the moshing crowd and my camera lost her, I sat watching women and men jump around the nightclub surrounding her through my viewfinder. The moment became emotional for everyone. Through glitter tears Alexx said goodnight and the set ended.
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